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Meropis
|final state = Intact |alias = }} Meropis is a location that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. It is an underwater city that was discovered and visited by the Freedom Fighters during the Shattered World Crisis. It is ruled over by King Puff and Queen Angelica. The apparent capital of the Great Blue Realm, the city is under constant threat by the Northern Oceans Egg Army. Description Meropis is a small underwater city and is exclusively home to undersea individuals. The buildings of Meropis are mainly dome-shaped, with the taller ones having towers on top of them which usually are round on the top too. Some buildings also have features resembling fins. The city is adjacent to the Eusebes Shrine, which serves to help Chao reincarnate as well as providing a protective watery-shield around the city. The shield itself is powered by magic rings and maintained by the Mystic Melody of the Eusebes Temple's priestess. The city is also protected by the Meropis City Guards, led by Captain Striker the Mantis Shrimp. History Past At some point in the history of Meropis, the Chao Aquarius taught the people sacred rites such as the Mystic Melody that provided protection to the city from outsiders. Immensely grateful for this gift, the people of Meropis named Aquarius as patron of the Eusebes Shrine and established the office of priestess. Individuals chosen for this role had the responsibility of maintaining Meropis' shield and caring for the Chao who inhabited the shrine.''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #260, "Waves of Change Part One: First Ripples"''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #261, "Waves of Change Part Two: Current Events" Waves of Change and aftermath During the Shattered World Crisis, Meropis was plagued by a number of problems, from pollution to hordes of monsters that sought to penetrate the city's defenses. In the midst of this crisis, Aquarius entered a cocoon state but failed to emerge, a situation that was blamed on the active priestess Coral the Betta. Because of this, Coral was temporarily stripped of her office, with the emotional turmoil ensuing leading to the city's shield falling. Fortunately, Coral's newfound friends-Sonic the Hedgehog, Rotor the Walrus, and Amy Rose of the Freedom Fighters-helped defend the city from the attacking creatures, and were bolstered by the arrival of Tikal and Chaos, who helped Aquarius emerge from her cocoon in a heightened state and restored the city's shield. Rotor was also able to determine that the pollution plaguing the city came from Dr. Eggman's Egg Carriers, allowing the citizens to work on cleaning up their metropolis.''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #262, "Waves of Change Part Three: Terror in the Deep"''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #263, "Waves of Change Part Four: Divine Waters" Along with HEXAeco and MeteorTech, Meropis' Tourism Board apparently sponsored the Chaos Emerald Championship, though commentator Wes Weasely was unfamiliar with the city's location.''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #269, "Champions Part Two: Climbing the Brackets" The city placed bets on who would win the fights, with Razor winning against Captain Striker and King Puff, but losing to Pearly.''Sonic the Hedgehog'' #270, "Champions Part Three: Raising the Stakes" Trivia *Meropis shares the name of a fictional island mentioned by the ancient Greek writer Theopompus. *Meropis is the first instance of an actual community of any kind in the oceans in the Archie Comics. Its inhabitants are also the first case of ocean-dwelling mobians anthropomorphized to the point of being humanoid; previously, aquatic animals typically resembled their Earth counterparts but possessed the power of speech. Aquatic animals in Sonic the Comic resembled their real-world counterparts, but could walk on two fins/flippers/arms/etc and possessed the power of speech, while those in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog were basically the Mobian equivalent of merpeople. References